


Gaia's Guardian

by velveteenvamp



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: A tiny bit of DannyxSam, F/M, Freeform, Gen, Plant!Sam, powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:00:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22451527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velveteenvamp/pseuds/velveteenvamp
Summary: After the incident with Undergrowth, Sam begins exhibiting some new abilities.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Danny Fenton/Sam Manson, Tucker Foley & Sam Manson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 75





	Gaia's Guardian

If you had told her two years ago that she'd _also_ be a halfa, she wouldn't have believed it. Sam didn't crave power and was genuinely never jealous of Danny's gifts the same way Tucker often was. Danny's powers were certainly cool, but she also understood the risks they presented. Frankly, she found herself feeling isolated enough around her parents, the last thing she needed was a secret of _that_ magnitude. 

And yet, here she was, finding refuge in the forest after sneaking out. The city became more restrictive by the day; it physically pained her to be around so many pollutants, to witness the grotesque destruction that mankind so worryingly excelled at.

Sam had always been more sensitively attuned to nature than anybody else she knew. She had begun her eco-activism from a young age to the chagrin of everybody around her. In the face of adversity, she remained relentless when it came to what she held so dear. The destruction of the precious rainforests disgusted her, trophy hunting, animal testing... the list went on. 

Why else would Undergrowth have gravitated towards her? There was no one else who matched Sam Manson's idealism and love of all things green. 

At first, when he was vanquished, she remembered nothing of it. Her mouth tasted of soil so she knew _something_ had happened, but what, she couldn't be sure. But then the dreams started, intense visions of Amity Park overtaken by the resilient roots of the earth. Each time she had such a dream, she woke up with the intense taste of soil in her mouth. 

Then she began spending more and more time in her greenhouse. It was damn near impossible to pull her away, more than once she had even fallen asleep in there and woken up to the sensation of plants cradling her. 

"What's going on with you, Sam?" Danny asked her one day. She was dumbfounded and only offered a pathetic denial. It wasn't like _she_ was any wiser. 

* * *

Danny received the answer to his question one day, in the most unexpected of ways. 

The trio had been out on a routine ghost hunt but when Sam called for Danny to look out, a green vine sprung from her chest and whisked him away to safety. "Okay, what the hell?!" was the unanimous response from all three. 

Then the accusations happened. Danny and Tucker were convinced that Sam was under the control of Undergrowth, a marionette pawn in a wider game of chess. The accusation downright incensed her. "Hey, I just saved your butt, remember?" she spat. 

Well, at least the outburst was enough to prove that she was _compos mentis_. The fire inside of her froze over when Danny protectively wrapped an arm around her waist, apologising and assuring her he just wanted her to be safe. Hell, it wasn't like she could blame him, if the platform boot was on the other foot, she'd have questions too. 

* * *

As time went on, it became abundantly clear that Sam's newfound gifts were here to stay. At first, they had all tried finding answers only to conclude empty-handed. Sam had even let Danny use his parents's gadgets on her to get to the bottom of what was going on. It was determined that she had a foreign substance in her bloodstream: flora. 

Then Danny put the pieces together: when he had fought Undergrowth, the powers he had given to Sam must have remained. Someone had to keep the natural balance, right? What better person than humanity's biggest eco-advocate? 

It was a joint-decision to let Sam retain her powers; they had certainly been a great aid and who knew what else she could do in time. She had made it clear though that if she started exhibiting any symptoms of mind-control for Danny to remove the ghost/plant part of her. Sam didn't want to retain her powers to feel superior, she only wanted to fight the good fight. 

* * *

The same way how Danny would occasionally venture off to the Ghost Zone without her, Sam would sometimes take solitary trips to the woods. Other couples had guys and girls nights out--Danny and Sam had ghost nights out. 

The air was languid, tangibly balmy and lacking so much as a trace of wind. Such conditions were of no concern to her. Contrarily, the other side of her _thrived_ in the clammy atmosphere, soaking up each and every bit of photosynthesis. The grass tickled her bare toes as she effortlessly glided through the forest. She could feel the energy of every leaf, branch and bud flowing through her veins. Making her way through, the vines bowed to their Queen and decaying greenery was suddenly resurrected, the flora revived by her mere presence.   
  
Locating the perfect spot beneath an ancient oak tree and sitting under its shade, the branches reached down to cradle her. The chlorophyll-enriched leaves dressed her torso, fashioning a bodice. Nearby flowers sprang up and weaved themselves together to complete a skirt. The garments fit like a second skin, their fibres melding to each thread of flesh.   
  
Exhaling, Sam closed her eyes and began meditating. Flowers sprung by her feet, Gaia's gift for her return. It was good to be home, away from pollutants and the haphazardness. Calmness washed over her, knowing that she was secure with nature _and_ with her beloved friends. While she may not have always liked society, Sam was fundamentally a humanitarian and no amount of plant-powers would _ever_ change that. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I wrote most of this at four o'clock in the morning while sick with bronchitis and have only done minimal editing (too sick to focus very much!) so please pardon any errors. This was mostly just an excuse for me to freeform some Plant!Sam since we didn't get enough of her and I've always thought it'd be cool if she retained those powers. I may write something longer exploring this concept, but for now, I hope you've enjoyed this little musing. 
> 
> References:  
> Gaia - Greek primordial personification of the Earth and Goddess of nature  
> compos mentis - Latin for "of sound mind"


End file.
